Mathew 23:37 O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are
sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Luke 19:41-44 And
when he (Jesus) was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If
thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong
unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come
upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee
round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground,
and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee onestone upon another; because thou
knewest not the time of thy visitation.

My imagination has always been overwhelmed by
the Biblical account of this occasion when Jesus, after leaving Bethany and
approaching the old city of Jerusalem from the East, came to a high point where
he could view the layout of the city below. It is a certainty that Jesus knew
how the panorama of human history would wind and twist over the condition and
fate of Jerusalem. The Bible doesn’t record many instances of Jesus weeping,
(Lazarus death, praying in the Garden, on the cross) yet upon reaching the city
of Jerusalem on this particular occasion (pre Passover week-before his Triumphal
entry) Jesus breaks out in weeping. Even before he descended down into the city,
Jesus commented about the tragic spiritual condition of the holy City. Just as
had been the case in the days of the prophets, Jerusalem remained a city whoring
after other gods, and a city that simply did not recognize him. Soon the city
would condemn him to death and accuse him of perverting the nation. (Luke 23:2)
How ironic! The Messiah savior of Israel came unto Jerusalem riding upon a
donkey offering deliverance, and got charged with the heinous crime of
perverting his own nation. Truly it was that Jesus was a prophet without honor
in his own country. (John 4:44)

The modern city of Jerusalem has eleven gates,
of which only seven gates are open. In fact the eastern gate has been sealed
shut to symbolize the denial of entry to the Messiah into Jerusalem. That fact
stands in stark contrast to the Biblical New Jerusalem which will have twelve
open gates, gates that will never be shut. When Rome destroyed the ancient
Temple of Israel, it left only the outer retaining wall of the Temple Mount
platform and complex. This outer wall shell, is known to Jews as the Kotel
ha-Ma'aravi, and to most Westerners as the Western Wall. (wailing wall) Jews
have flocked from around the world to pray at the Wailing Wall for centuries.
Jews place many scraps of paper (kvitlach) containing prayers into the
crevices of the 65-foot high wall, hoping for answers to prayer. Like Israel’s
prophets of old, Jews continue today to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Three times a day for thousands of years Jews have prayed
"To Jerusalem, thy city, shall we return with joy," and have repeated the
Psalmist's oath: "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her
cunning."

I and II Samuel,
I and II Kings, and I and II Chronicles, as well as almost every one of the Old
Testament prophets of Israel convey to us an enormous amount of information
detailing why it came to pass that Israel was taken into exile in Babylon and
why the magnificent First Temple came to be destroyed. The terrible loss of life
and all the associated suffering which took place in Jerusalem on the 9th of Av,
586 B.C. were followed by a gradual restoration that culminated in the
rebuilding of Jerusalem. Finally, by the time of Yeshua (Jesus), 600 years
later, Israel once again enjoyed a modest place among the nations of the Middle
East. Gone was the great military prowess she had enjoyed under King David. Gone
was the Kingship for Israel had been a vassal state under foreign dominion for
centuries. (the times of the Gentiles) However, a respectable Temple again stood
in Jerusalem. Sacrifices and offerings and the externals of her religion were in
place. The priesthood was corrupted and the number of the godly who were
faithful to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was very few. There was little
evidence of real spiritual life from God. The internal politics of a once
unified people were divided into factions amongst the Herodians, Hellenists,
Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Scribes. Thankfully there was a small
believing remnant that remained faithful to the Holy One of Israel, and were
concerned about Jerusalem and the people. The four Christian gospels say very
little about the Temple in the days of Jesus, except for the words of the
Disciples bragging about its splendor to Jesus as he met with them on the Mount
of Olives. Except for a few brief words from Jesus there was no extensive public
warning that the Second Temple was to be destroyed. The analysis of why this
happened would be explained afterward, after the resurrection of Jesus. It was
then that the Apostles (all Jews) confronted the nation with her grievous sins,
and the fact that Israel had totally missed the special appointed time of her
visitation from God, a visit personified in the manifestation of his only
begotten son, Jesus Christ! After the death and ascension of Jesus, it wasn’t
long until the faithful followers were driven out of Jerusalem and found refuge
in Antioch. In just a short while after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the
mad Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, nicknamed Caligula desecrated the
Holy Temple. Everywhere else in the Roman Empire subjugated peoples had been
forced to conform to the cult of Rome and acknowledge not only Caesar as Lord
but also fall into line by adopting the Roman pantheon of gods. The Jews had
been left alone and now with the crucifixion of Jesus, it was decreed by Rome
time the Jews begin to conform. Thus, Caligula gave an order to set up his
statue in the Holy of Holies in the Temple, thus establishing a precedent for
the Last Days act of the Antichrist known as the “abomination of desolation.”

The Fall of Jerusalem In 70 A.D.

"

And Jesus went
out, and departed from the Temple: and His disciples came to Him for to shew Him
the buildings of the Temple. And Jesus said unto them, "See ye not all these
things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon
another, that shall not be thrown down." (Matthew 24:1-2 )

About 40 years later, (32AD-70AD) and exactly
as prophesied by Jesus Christ, the magnificent "Herod's Temple" was completely
destroyed, leaving not one stone upon another. It was an event that marked the
beginning of the long and arduous Jewish Diaspora. Yet, it was definitely an
event foreseen in Bible prophecy. Jesus not only prophesied about the
destruction of Jerusalem and its Holy Temple, but added the following statement:
(Luke 21:24; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the
times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.)

The Jewish zealots, reacting in opposition to
Caligula’s campaign began a revolt against Rome, a revolt which led to Roman
legion soldiers from Syria destroying the food stocks of the Zealots and the
local Jewish population. The inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem died in great
numbers via starvation. (Luke 21:20-23) Roman General Titus encircled the city,
(later became Caesar) and began the siege of Jerusalem in April, A.D. 70. He
posted his 10th legion on the Mount of Olives, directly east of and overlooking
the Temple Mount. The 12th and 15th legions were stationed on Mount Scopus,
further to the east and commanding all ways to Jerusalem from east to north. On
the 10th of August, in A.D. 70 – (the 9th of Av) -- in Jewish calendar
reckoning, the very day when the King of Babylon burned the Temple in 586 B.C.,
the Temple was burned again. Titus took the city and put it to the torch,
burning the Temple, leaving not one stone upon another.
Thus, Jerusalem was totally destroyed and as Jesus had predicted, and not one
stone was left upon another. When the Temple was set on fire the Roman soldiers
tore apart the stone to get the melted gold. The Menorah and vessels were
carried to Rome and the treasury was robbed. But perhaps the most astonishing
prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome is that it happened just as
Daniel had predicted, in that the Temple was destroyed only after the
Messiah had come, and not before he had presented himself to Israel! (Daniel
9:26) (Luke 19:41-45)

With the decline of the Greek Empire during
the first century B.C. (again, exactly as prophesied by another prophet
long before, (Daniel-leopard beast) the Romans began to expand their territorial
holdings in the Mid-east. In 63 B.C., Roman forces under Pompey, a highly
successful general and the son-in-law of Emperor Julius Caesar, captured the
city of Jerusalem.

In 40 B.C., the Roman Senate appointed Herod,
later known as Herod the Great, as the "client king" of Judea. Herod had
previously served as the governor of Galilee, and was a personal friend of Mark
Antony, before Antony was defeated by Octavian at Actium in 31 B.C., and then
later a friend with Octavian himself. Octavian became the first Roman emperor as
"Caesar Augustus" a man famous in Bible history for ordering the tax census that
caused Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem where the Messiah was born. Herod
the Great ruled Judea for the next 36 years, during which he oversaw many grand
building projects, including the magnificent Temple (referred to as "Herod's
Temple"), and the fortress of Masada, among others. He is most infamous to
Christians for his attempt to have the infant Christ killed, and failing that,
then resorting to the slaughtering all of the male children, 2 years of age and
under, in the Bethlehem vicinity (Matthew 2:1-28). Herod the Great died not long
thereafter, upon which occasion Joseph brought his family back from Egypt and
settled in Nazareth. Despite being under Roman occupation, the Jews, or more
accurately the religious leadership of that time, the Pharisees and Sadduceees,
were given near autonomy in religious matters. After the death of Herod the
Great, Judea was reduced to a Roman province under a Roman appointed procurator.
It was under the fifth procurator, Pontius Pilate, that Jesus Christ was
crucified.

In 41 A.D. Herod the Great's kingdom was
temporarily re-established (for about 3 years) for his grandson Herod Agrippa I.
Like all of the rest, Herod Agrippa I had a very high opinion of himself, and
issued a decree about 44 A.D., in which he went so far as to, in effect, claim
to be divine, a blasphemous act for which God struck him down: "And upon a set
day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration
unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and
not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave
not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms." (Acts 12:21-23)

After the death of Herod Agrippa I, the
procurators were put back in charge, however in 66 A.D. the Jews instigated a
rebellion against Roman rule. In 70 A.D., after a 143-day siege which began at
Passover, a Roman military force consisting of about 30,000 troops under the
command of Titus battered the walls and entered the city. They destroyed
everything, including Herod's Temple, exactly as spoken by Jesus Christ 40
years earlier. The population and the great number of Passover visitors who
had been trapped there were brutally slaughtered, with an estimated 600,000 to
1,000,000 people killed. Roman General Titus took the precious booty and
treasury of the Jerusalem Temple back to Rome, where many suspect it remains to
this day. (arch of Titus)

The Roman army then moved over to the city of
Caesarea (named after Caesar) on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea where a
great many more Jews were killed. Over 90,000 were taken captive, including the
famous historian Flavius Josephus who recorded the events of that era in his
work, Wars of The Jews.

By 70 A.D., Jerusalem and Judea were
left desolate, most of the people either killed or being held in captivity, or
had become refugees fleeing to remote lands. All that remained in Israel was the
defiant little garrison atop the mount at Masada, a fortress complex south of
the Dead Sea, which was built by Herod the Great. Thus when the Temple was
destroyed in A.D. 70 the period of the second exile began. (Diaspora) The Jewish
people were soon to be scattered throughout the earth. For the next 1900 years
the Jews would have no authority in the land God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob.

The continued downtrodden history of the city of Jerusalem
epitomizes the lamentations of its prophets, and the reasons that God allowed
its destruction:

Isaiah 1:21How is
the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness
lodged in it; but now murderers.

Lamentations 1:8
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that
honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth,
and turneth backward.

Lamentations 2:13-14
What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O
daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O
virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal
thee? Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have
not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for
thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

The Roman Jerusalem

Aelia Capitolina was the title that the
Romans gave to the quasi-city that they established on the site of Jerusalem
after its destruction by Roman legions under Titus in 70 A.D. (exactly as
prophesied by Jesus Christ 40 years before in Matthew 24:1-2). The name was
concocted after the Second Jewish revolt of 132-135 to honor the emperor Hadrian
and the pagan gods of the Roman trinity, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. A temple to
Jupiter was constructed right on the Temple Mount, and idols of Roman gods were
erected throughout the city in a deliberate and malicious violation of God’s
law.

The area of Aelia Capitolina was walled
and a varied population of foreign people was brought in, while nearly all Jews
were forbidden to enter. The existing walls of the Old City today generally
maintain the layout of the Roman walls of that time. Jerusalem was called by its
Roman name for about 200 years until a version of Christianity became the
official religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century. Bible history and
Bible Prophecy make very clear that any violation of Jerusalem, past or present,
would not endure. God has very definite plans for the city that no human
government or empire could ever stop. The Almighty God permitted occasional
devastation of the city only as a punishment for His people who had become
corrupt before Him. Many have tried, a few more are yet to try, but the result
will always be the same for those who attempt to possess Jerusalem, they will
ultimately find themselves fighting an impossible-to-win battle against God
Himself.

A few Jerusalem facts:

Jerusalem is located on a high ridge,
consisting of 3 hills. Along the east of the city is the Kidron Valley (in
which runs the Brook Kidron, including the Pool of Gihon), to the south is
the Valley of Hinnom, to the west is the Valley of Gehenna. The Mount of
Olives, where Jesus was arrested, is just to the east, across the Kidron
Valley. Archaeological studies indicate that the city is very ancient,
having been established perhaps more than 2,000 years before it was
captured from the Jebusites by King David of Israel, about 1,000 B.C.
Jerusalem had earlier been named Salem (Genesis 14:18) and Jebus (1
Chronicles 11:4). Salem meant peace. The city is mentioned
throughout the Bible, over 600 times in the Old Testament, less in the New
Testament. The first mention of the name Jerusalem is found in Joshua
chapter 10. The first Temple was constructed by Solomon over a period of
about 12 years, with completion being around 950 B.C. The original Temple
was destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar about 587 B.C. The
first Temple lasted only about 360 years. The Herodian Temple, as
constructed later by Herod the Great, existed at the time of Jesus Christ.
It was a continuation of the earlier reconstruction work done by Jews who
had been allowed to return by the Persians after the Babylonian Captivity.
The second Temple was destroyed by the Roman Army under Titus in 70 A.D. at
the conclusion of the Jewish War.

Lamentations 4:11-12 The Lord hath accomplished
his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in
Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. The kings of the earth,
and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the
adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem Syndrome

Every year, many people travel to
Israel as tourists. Most have no problems, they stay for a little while, see the
historical sights, and go home after a safe and enjoyable holiday. For a very
small number of them however, their actual presence in the Holy Land is a
traumatic experience. Suddenly, they fully realize that all of the places that
they've read about for so long in the Bible are real, and they are quite
overwhelmed by it. Ironically, the reality causes them to lose touch with
reality.

Mental health officials in Israel, who have
named the condition Jerusalem Syndrome, estimate that it affects about 1%
of visitors to some degree. The condition is usually temporary and mild, and
passes without notice, but a few actually begin to claim that they are one of
the well-known people from Bible history, even Jesus Christ Himself. On top of
all of their genuine security concerns, Israeli police and military forces
occasionally find themselves having to deal with disturbances caused by these
unfortunate individuals. Bible Prophecy speaks of a not-too-distant future
visitor to Jerusalem who is also going to lose touch with reality. He isn't
going to be suffering from Jerusalem Syndrome however, as much as he is going to
be directly possessed by Satan. This individual isn't going to just think that
he's some human from the Bible, he's going to claim to be God. Because of
the great military and political power that he will possess beforehand, and his
ability to perform actual "miracles" (as made possible by Satan) through
his "Great False Prophet," hundreds of millions of people around the world will
believe what he blasphemously claims. Here is just a little of what the Bible
says about him:

"He opposes and exalts himself over everything that
is called God or is worshiped, and even sets himself up in God's
Temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

"The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance
with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles,
signs and wonders." (2 Thessalonians 2:9)

"His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the
Temple and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the
abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt
those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their
God will firmly resist him." (Daniel 11:31-32)

"So when you see standing in the Holy Place "the
abomination that causes desolation," spoken of through the prophet
Daniel, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea
flee to the mountains." (Matthew 24:15-16)

The Rise of
Jerusalem

But the prophets have foretold that Jerusalem
shall rise again and once more become the home of a King. Isaiah informs us that
the Lord has not forgotten the city that he chose for his name. Today it has
become the locality that is at the heart of a cosmic controversy between the god
of this world and the God of creation. God has chosen the city of Jerusalem to
become yet again, as in the days of old, the habitation of his throne. (Jeremiah
25:30 and Zechariah 3:2)

Psalms 48:1-2 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city
of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of
the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the
great King.

Revelation 21:1-3
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth
were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, andhe will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Revelation 21:10-19
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me
that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having
the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a
jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve
gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the
names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates;
on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to
measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city
lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the
city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the
height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty
and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And
the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like
unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished
with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second,
sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx;
the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a
topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an
amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one
pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the
temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine
in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the
kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it
shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

Zechariah 8:3 Thus saith the Lord;
I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and
Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of
hosts the holy mountain.

Psalms 137:5-6 If
I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do
not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I
prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Isaiah 62:1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my
peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness
thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that
burneth.

Isaiah 62:6-7
I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold
their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not
silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make
Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Psalms 122:6 Pray for the peace
of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

There are presently about 200
independent countries in the world, each with its own capital city. Each nation
rightly considers its capitol city to be the "center of the world" by its own
citizens. Today, the United Nations forms the backdrop and inspiration for an
international world capitol, and someday the Antichrist will likely formulate an
effort to fashion his world capitol, and perhaps even in the city of Jerusalem.
The city of Rome is known historically as the “eternal city.” But it is
not going to be an eternal city. Ancient Babylon, which was the epitome of the
world’s grandest urban utopia was known as the “golden city.” But Babylon
will never be golden again, and its golden grandeur cannot rival the majestic
beauty of the New Jerusalem. Yes, a new capitol city is coming, a city in
which God will rule with absolute power and authority, ruling with truth and
justice, politically and religiously from his world capital, a city that was
chosen by God long ago, according to His will and his purpose. The name of that
Capital City is New Jerusalem, which in Hebrew means “City of Peace,” and
that is exactly what Jerusalem will be when the Messiah returns to rule all
nations, from Mount Zion.

Finally at long last, Jerusalem will become
the embodiment of Abraham’s sojourn of faith.

Hebrews 11:8-10 By
faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after
receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he
went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country,
dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same
promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and
maker is God.